Time delay mechanism



@@C M99 3935 w. F. RICHARDS TIME DELAY MECHANISM Filed Dec. 24, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l @@C W E935 w. F. RICHARDS TIME DELAY MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet- 2 Filed Dec.v 24, 1934 MIT Patented Dec. 10, 1935 UNITD STATES rAreNr OFFICE 2,023,698 TIME DELAY MECHANISM William F. Richards, Brownstown, Ind.

Application December 24, 1934, Serial No. 759,025

'13 Claims.

This invention relates to the art of delayed timing mechanisms t'o be employed in safes, vaults and the like where it is desired to have a considerable time interval elapse between a preliminary operation setting in action the timing mechanism and the time at which the door of the safe or vault may be actually unlocked to permit its opening. A primary object of my invention is to provide a very simple mechanism Which may be manufactured and sold at a relatively low cost and at the same time installed readily Without undue expense whereby the mechanism may be utilized to the fullest extent even in small institutions otherwise not iin-ancially able to install and keep up a delayed timing mechanism.

A further important object of the invention is to provide a very desirable mechanism which is practically fool proof and which may be used time after time without any expense in its operation or up-keep. A still further important object of the invention is to provide means whereby the time interval may be varied and predetermined in advance.

Other objects and advantages of the invention are the provision of means for preventing the unwarranted opening of the safe even though it be rocked from its normal position in any direction; the incorporation of a very simple but reliable operating audible signal indicating when the delayed mechanism has operated; and other burglar resisting features all as will become more appa-rent to those versed in the art in the following description of my invention which is more or less diagrammatically illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation in partial section of a safe embodying my invention showing the timing mechanism in the normal inoperative position;

Fig. 2, a similar view showing the mechanism in the operated position;

Fig 3, a detail in vertical transverse section;

Fig. 4, a vertical transverse section on the line 4-4 in Fig. l;

Fig. 5, a vertical transverse section on the line 5--5 in Fig. l, and

Fig. 6, a detail in vertical section on the line 6-6 in Fig. l.

Likecharacters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views in the drawings.

While my invention is adapted toy be incorporated in many types oi safes and vaults, one particular use is that in a small safe which may be kept near the counter in the cage of a teller (Cl. 'l0-26) in a bank so that money received may be dropped therein rather than being left on the counter where it would be available to bandits. In this event, this smaller safe would be employed in connection with a larger vault in which the prin- 5 cipal sum of money in the bank would be kept under lock. Of course a small amount of money would be kept on the counter for making change and when such amount became exhausted, the teller or cashier must then have access to this i0 smaller safe in order to secure the necessary money.

In order to foil bandits, my invention is incorporated in such safes so that the teller must anticipate his requirement for additional money by an initial operation on the safe following which after a predetermined time interval, the safe may be opened. It is the idea that should a bandit enter the bank and even perform the initial operation for setting the time delay mechanism in operation within the safe,v a suicient amount of time will elapse from that initial operation until the safe may be opened that help may be secured or the bandit will not take the chance of remaining in the bank for that length of time for fear of capture. It is to be understood, however, that in the following description as illustrated by the accompanying drawings, I am describing but one particular form of the invention in one particular application.

The safe lll is herein shown as a box-like structure having metallic w-alls and sufficient weight to prevent easy transportation thereof. Preferably the safe is provided with legs Il which may rest on or pass through the floor and through which attaching bolts l2 may be passed to prevent moving of the safe. These legs Il are preferably made hollow so that alarm devices may be operated at a distance if desirable by extending Wires or cables therethrough from the interior i0 of the safe. I provide at some suitable location a slot i3, here shown as on one side of the safe through which currency and other forms of money as may be desired may be passed to drop within the safe and I provide a tion I4 therein over which the money may slide and drop to the floor of the safe at one side thereof. f

A door l5 is provided to close an opening on the side of the safe, through which door access may 5o be had to the money deposited therein and also to such mechanism as may be placed under the partition ill. This door I5 is provided With any type of hinges i6 which may be secured to the outer side of the safe since the door will remain guiding partii5 thereof so as to lap over in a closed position when locked irrespective of the hinges being knocked off. The door is provided with overlapping members such that no direct access may be had past the door into the safe about the edges of the door. In this regard I preferably employ a lip on the inside of the hinged end of the door so formed that it will pass around and lap over the crack between the vertical wall of the safe and that end of the door as indicated in Fig. 4. Likewise I provide a lip I8 on the outer side of the door at the opposite end the outer side of the safe at that end. Flanges i9 and 26 respectively are provided along the top and bottom edges of the door opening on the inside of the safe against which the door may abut when closed. Thus by providing the overlapping members, no tool may be inserted through the crack around the door and into the safe.

A latch bar 2| is carried on the inner side of the door by a number of brackets 22 here shown as two in number so as to support the bar and guide it in horizontal longitudinal travel. The bar 2| is so formed that an end thereof may slide behind the wall of the safe in which the door is mounted so as to prevent opening thereof. A handle 23 is provided to extend through a slot in the door and welded to the bar 2| so that the bar may be reciprocated from the outside of the door unless the bar is locked in position.

The bar is carried along the inner side of the door toward the hinged end by a portion which is spaced inwardly from the door and is preferably carried through another supporting bracket 23. Between that bracket 23 and the adjacent bracket 22, a notch 24 is formed in the upper edge of the bar 2| across which a finger 25 may drop to prevent longitudinal movement of the bar 2| when it has been shifted to the locked or'latched position preventing the opening of the door. This nger 25 is a forwardly turned end of a rocker bar 26 which is rockably mounted in the form herein shown on the oor of the safe on a bracket 21 by a foot 28 of that bar extending across the bracket in pivoted connection therewith. A spring 29 is preferably employed although not necessarily so to push upwardly on the rear end of the foot 28 so as to rock the bar 26 forwardly to normally carry the finger 25 around to where it will drop across the notch 24. This is the normal position of the various members thus far described and it will be seen that some means must be provided to rock the finger 25 away from the bar 2| before it may be shifted to permit opening of the door l5.

Within the safe lll and under the partition Ui, I mount a pair of spaced apart standards 36 and 3| to support therebetween at their upper endsl an axle 32. The upper ends of the standards are provided with a series of holes 33 through which the axle may selectively extend, the series being provided to permit variable spacing of the axle from the :door of the safe. Secured to this axle 32 is a tank, generally designated by the numeral 34 having a portion thereof extending to either side of the axle.

This tank 3G is provided with a common floor 35 to carry thereabove the tank compartments 36 and 31.

The compartment 31 is, in the form herein shown, provided with a tapered end terminating approximately on the line of the axle 32 thereunder. The extreme end of this tapered portion of the compartment 31 forms a partition 38 in common with the rear end of the compartment 36 whlch is likewise tapered to meet with lto' the interior the tapered end of the other compartment 31. An erice 39, Fig. 3, is provided near the under side of the partition 38 so that the contents which may be in either compartment 33 or 31 may iiow from one into the other through that orifice as the tank may be correspondingly rocked.

I provide a connecting tube 4E) to run from the compartment 3? across and into the compartment 3G over the partition 33. Attention is directed also to the fact that the floor 35 of the tank is lower under the compartment 36 as compared to its elevation under the compartment 31 when the tank is horizontally disposed. The tube 4D leaves the compartment 31 with a portion thereof substantially parallel to the upper side of the compartment and thence slopes downwardly over the tapered end of that compartment to discharge into the tapered end of the compartment 36 at the lower elevation. I also provide an air equalizing tube 41| between the two compartments 36 and 3'! and in the form herein shown, the tube 4| leaves the compartment 36 'near its outer upper side and is carried across to enter the compartment 31 also on its upper side at a place somewhat removed from the tapered end of that compartment. A quantity of iiuid is placed in the tank S to be such that it will substantially fill one of the compartments. The compartments are approximately of the same volume. This fluid may be a number of substances such as Water, kerosene, alcohol and even sand. The primary requisite of the fluid is that it may flow from one compartment into the other upon tilting of the tank. The tank after being filled is sealed to prevent leakage of the fluid' or material therefrom. Between the lower ends of the standards 30 and 3| I mount a shaft l2 which extends outwardly through the wall of the safe to carry an operating handle e3 thereon so that the shaft may be revolved from the outside of the safe. An arm 44 is secured by one end to this shaft 42 and is of such length that a roller 45 carried on its outer end may be rocked around from the floor of the safe up against the the tank forwardly of its axle 32 so that by means of the pressure of the arm roller 45 thereagainst,

the tank compartment 36 will be swung around upwardly and the compartment 31 downwardly to some such position as indicated in Fig. 1. In order to maintain this position of the tank, I provide an indentation l5 in the floor 35 into which of the arm 31 is limited by me screw 33 which is carried by a bracket 5S. raising or lowering the screw 4S, the lower position of the arm l1 is selectively determined.

ns of an adjusting the finger 25 is within the notch 2li whereby the bar 2| is maintained in that position preventing opening of the door i5. In order to gain access of the safe the handle 43 is under side of the floor 35 of revolved counter-clockwise to allow the arm 44 to come around and drop down onto the floor of the safe. During this movement of the arm 44, the tank 34 will be revolved to some such position as indicated by the dash lines, Fig. 1, by reason of the weight of the arm 41 bearing thereagainst. The rocked position of the tank as induced by this arm 41 is that position as determined by the position of the screw 49 against which the arm 41 comes to rest. In any event this rocked position will approximate a position wherein the floors of the two compartments are approaching the horizontal'.

In this rocked position of the tank, fluid will begin to now from the compartment 31 through the orifice 39 down into the lower compartment 33. Depending upon the size of the orifice 39, an interval of time will be required to permit an appreciable quantity of the fluid to be transferred from the compartment 31 into the compartment 33. In one particular form and size of the orifice, I employ a twenty minute period, but of course this may be varied to meet desired requirements. In any event when that quantity of fluid as has been predetermined is within the compartment 39, that quantity will have sufficient weight to cause the tank to revolve around in a further counter-clockwise direction to the position as indicated in Fig. 2 wherein the compartment 36 is then in the lowered position and the compartment 31 then in the upper position. It is to be noted that immediately upon the initiation of such rotation by the transfer of the uid from one compartment to the other, that rotation is quickly accelerated by reason of the fact that the liquid initially distributed over the bottom of the compartment 33 and also over the bottom of the compartment 31 in both instances rushes to the then lower ends of those compartments changing the leverage of the axle 32 quickly so as to cause a very quick rotation of the tank once it starts to turn. This accelerated movement is desirable for the reason that as the tank approaches that position as indicated in Fig. 2, the then lowered end of the compartment 35 strikes the foot 28 to press it toward the floor of the safe compressing the light spring 29 and thereby causes the linger 25 to be withdrawn from the notch 24 so that the handle 23 may then be pushed to shift the bar 2l to the unlatched position and the door l5 then pulled open.

It is to be observed further that due to the location of the tube 4D interconnecting` the two adjacent ends of the compartments 36 and 31, once the rotation of the tank is set up as above indicated, the fluid in the compartment 31 will flow through the tube 49 which has a bigger bore than the diameter of the orifice 39 so that a much quicker transfer of the uid is then had, further accelerating the movement of the tank. While this transfer of fluid is taking place from the compartment 31 to the compartment 35, air is displaced from the compartment 36 initially through both the tubes 43 and 4| and finally through the tube 4I when fluid ows through the tube 49, such air flowing from the compartment 36 back into the compartment 31 so as to equalize the pressures as the huid transfers.

The time elapsing from the initial action of revolving the handle 43 to release the tank so as to permit the arm 41 to set up the initial movement starting the transfer of fluid from one compartment to the other, is further determined by adjustment of the screw 49 which determines the lower resting position of the arm 41. The lower the roller 48 is allowed to drop and thereby initially shift the tank, the quicker of course will be the transfer of fluid from the compartment 31 into the compartment 36. A further control of this time interval is had by use of counter- 5 balancing weights 5| which may be applied to the tank on that end having the compartment 31. In the form herein shown, I provide a filling tube 52 screwthreaded on its outer side so that the weights may be screwthreaded thereover and 10 thus held in position. 'I'his ller tube 52 is of course plugged after the desired fluid is placed in the tank.

Now when it is desired to return the safe to the locked position, the door I5 is closed and the bar 15 2| shifted to the latched position as indicated in Fig. 4. The handle 43 is then revolved clockwise to lift the compartment 36 then containing the fluid and in turn lift the arm 41 until the tank is returned to the position as' indicated in Fig. 1. 20 As the tank is thus rocked, the foot 28 may rise under the influence of the spring 29 so as to return the nger 25 under the notch 24 and thereby hold the bar 2l against shifting. When the tank is being rocked to that position as indicated 25 in Fig. l, the fluid may transfer quickly in the compartment 3B into the compartment 31 through the tube 40 although some will, of course, return through the orifice 39. In any event within a short time, the fluid will have been completely 3o drained out of thecompartment 36 and will have again been returned to the compartment 31. The air pressures between compartments are, as above indicated, equalized in this event also by air flow through the tube 4l as well as the tube 40 toward 35 the end of that flow of liquid.

It is preferable that some audible signal be given when the nger 25 is first withdrawn from the bar 2l so that the operator will not forget to go to the safe when it is opened and to then 4@ restore it to the locked position. In the form herein shown, a mechanically operated signal is indicated comprising a bell 53 within the safe against which a clapper 54 strikes when the compartment 36 shifts the foot 2S, the clapper being 45 carried on a spring-arin 55 attached to the compartment 35 to have the clapper in the path of the bell. A further precaution is taken against unwarranted opening of the safe by turning it forwardly to induce rocking of the tank. Should the .3U safe be rocked over on its front side to set up such a movement of the tank, a weighted arm 56 normally resting in the position as indicated in Fig. 2 back of the vertical against the pin 59, will swing around to some such position as indi- :.5 cated by the dash line wherein the outer end of the arm will drop behind the bar 2| and rest on a stop pin 51. As l-ong as the arm 53 remains in that position, the bar 2i may not be shifted to the unlatched position. Should the safe be tilted oo in the reverse direction, the spring 29 will still retain the finger 25 in the notch 24.

While I have herein shown and described my invention more or less diagrammatically in the one particular form, it is obvious that structural changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention in adapting it to various applications, and I, therefore, do not desire to be limited by that precise form beyond the limitations as may be presented by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a time delay mechanism, a two compartment tank having a restricted passageway between the compartments, a iiowable material in the tank, means rockably supporting the tank whereby shifting of the material from one compartment to the other tends to cause rocking of the tank, means for rocking the tank to an initial position whereby the material starts flowing from one compartment to the other, a rocking bar, operative means between said bar and the tank actuating said bar upon rocking of the tank by continued ow of said material into said other compartment, and means for shifting the tank back beyond its initial position to permit return of the material to the first compartment.

2. In a time delay mechanism, a two compartment tank having a restricted passageway between the compartments, a ilowable material in the tank, means rockably supporting the tank whereby shifting of the material from one compartment to the other tends to cause rocking of the tank, means for rocking the tank to an initial position whereby the material starts nowing from `one compartment to the other, a rocking bar, operative means between said bar and the tank actuatingr said bar upon rocking of the tank by continued iiow of said material into said other compartment, and means for .shifting the tank back beyond its initial position to permit return of the material to the irst compartment, and means setting up a more rapid flow of the material to said other compartment as the tank starts to rock through the transfer of the material 3. In a time delay mechanism, a two compartment tank having a restricted passageway between the compartments, a fiowable material in the tank, means rockably supporting the tank whereby shifting of the material from one compartment to the other tendsto cause rocking of the tank, means for rocking the tank to an initial position whereby the material starts flowing from one compartment to the other, a rocking bar, operative means between said bar and the tank actuating said bar upon rockingof the tank by continued ow of said material into said other compartment, and means for shifting the tank back beyond its initial position to permit return of the material to the rst compartment, and means permittingT a quick return of the material to the first compartment operative upon actuation of said tank return shifting means.

4. In a time delay mechanism, a two compartment tank having a restricted passageway between the compartments, a iiowable material in the tank, means rockably supporting the tank whereby shifting of the material from one compartment to the other tends to cause rocking of the tank, means for rocking the tank to an initial position whereby the material starts flowing from one compartment to the other, a rocking bar, operative means between said bar and the tank actuating said bar upon rocking of the tank by continued flow of said material into said other compartment, and means for shifting the tank back beyond its initial position to permit return of the material to the rst compartment, means lay-passing said passageway permitting a more rapid transfer of the material between compartments following tank movement from said initial position.

5. In a time delay mechanism, a two compartment tank having a restricted passageway between the compartments, a iiowable material in the tank, means rockably supporting the tank whereby shifting of the material from one compartment to the other tends to cause rocking of the tank, means for rocking the tank to an initial position whereby the material starts iiowing Vfrom one compartment to the other, a rocking rapid transfer of the material between compartments following tank movement from said initial position, and compartment pressure equalizing means.

6. In a time delay mechanism, a rockable member having a portion thereof extending to both sides of its fulcrum, a shiftable weight carried by the member adapted to'travel selectively toward that portion of the member lower than the other portion, means for delaying that travel in one direction, means initially rocking the member to start said travel, and means for returning the member to carry the weight back to the other portion preliminary to a subsequent return travel thereof.

7. In a time delay mechanism, a rockable mem ber having a portion thereof extending to both sides of its fulcrum, a shiftable weight carried by the member adapted to travel selectively toward that portion of the member lower than the other portion, means for delaying that travel in one direction, means initially rocking the member to start said travel, and means for returning the member to carry the weight back to the other portion preliminary to a subsequent return travel thereof, a latch bar, and a rocker arm normally engaging the bar, said arm being in the path of said member whereby the arm is released from the bar upon rocking of the tank induced by delayed travel of said weight.

8. In a time delay mechanism, a rockable member having a portion thereof extending to both sides of its fulcrum, a shiftable weight carried by the member adapted to travel selectively toward that portion of the member lower than the other portion, means for delaying that travel in one direction, means initially rocking the member to start said travel, and means forreturning the member to carry the weight back to the other portion preliminary to a subsequent return travel thereof, and means causing acceleration of travel of said weight toward the end of its travel.

9. For a time delay mechanism, a two compartment tank, one of the compartments being lower than the other when the tank is horizontally disposed, said compartments being interconnected and having a discharge orifice therebetween, a tube leading from the top of one compartment into the other compartment as a by-pass about said orifice, and an air equalizing tube between the two compartments.

10. A time delay mechanism comprising a tank rockably mounted, a compartment in the tank on each side of its fulcrum, a passage in adjacent ends of the compartments connecting the compartments and of less area in cross section than the ends, a flowable material in the tank, means normally shifting the tank to raise one compartment to cause the material to ow into the other compartment, a weight normally tending to return said tank from said shifted position, and means limiting travel of said weight upon Withdrawal of said tank shifting means, said weight normally rocking the tank around to that position of lifting said other compartment to start 'an initial flow of said material into said one compartment, a by-pass tube between said compartments around said restricted passage having an inlet from said other compartment normally above the level of the material therein, said tank being further rocked as the material flows for a sufficient length of time through said passage into said one compartment, and the further rocking of the tank being accelerated by flow of the material through said by-pass tube as said one compartment drops down.

11. In a safe, a time delay unlocking mechanism comprising a tank rockably mounted in the safe, a compartment in the tank on each side of its fulcrum, a passage in adjacent ends of the compartments connecting the compartments and of less area in cross section than the ends, a ilowable material in the tank, an operating handle mounted outside of the safe, a shaft extending from the handle into the safe, an arm on the shaft in the path of the tank whereby movement of the handle will rock the arm against the tank to lift one compartment and lower the other, a shiftable positioning member in the path of the tank, a safe door, a shiftable latch bar normally retaining the door in a closed position, a rocker arm normally engaging the bar and retaining it in a latched position, said positioning member returning said tank to an approximately horizontally disposed position to allow said material to start flowing back into one compartment upon movement of said handle to retract said rst arm from tank engagement, said one compartment thereafter automatically dropping upon sufficient transfer of said material thereto to overbalance said other compartment, and means operatively connected with said rocker arm actuated by said dropping of the one compartment to withdraw the rocker arm from engagement with said bar.

12. In a safe, a time delay unlocking mechanism comprising a tank rockably mounted in the safe, a compartment in the tank on each side of its fulcrum, a passage in adjacent ends of the compartments connecting the compartments and of less area in cross section than the ends, a flowable material in the tank, an operating handle mounted outside of the safe, a shaft extending from the handle into the safe, an arm on the shaft in the path of the tank whereby movement of the handle will rock the arm against the tank to lift one compartment and lower the other, a shiftable positioning member in the path of the tank, a safe door, a shiftable latch bar normally retaining the door in a closed position, a rocker arm normally engaging the bar and retaining it in a latched position, said positioning member returning said tank to an approximately horizontally disposed position to allow said material to start flowing back into one compartment upon movement of said handle to retract said first arm from tank engagement, said one compartment thereafter automatically dropping upon sufficient transfer of said material thereto to overbalance said other compartment, and means operatively connected with said rocker arm actuated by said dropping of the one compartment to withdraw the rocker arm from engagement with said bar, and means for varying the time interval of said dropping following said last handle movement.

13. In a safe, a time delay unlocking mechanism comprising a tank rockably mounted in the safe, a compartment in the tank on each side of its fulcrum, a passage in adjacent ends of the compartments connecting the compartments and of less area in cross section than the ends, a flowable material in the tank, an operating handle mounted outside of the safe, a shaft extending from the handle into the safe, an arm on the shaft in the path of the tank whereby movement of the handle will rock the arm against the tank to lift one compartment and lower the other, a shiftable positioning member in the path of the tank, a safe door, a shiftable latch bar normally retaining the door in a closed position, a rocker arm normally engaging the bar and retaining it in a latched position, said positioning member returning said tank to an approximately hori- Zontally disposed position to allow said material to start owing back into one compartment upon movement of said handle to retract said first arm from tank engagement, said one compartment thereafter automatically dropping upon sufficient transfer of said material thereto to overbalance said other compartmen means operatively connected with said rocker arm actuated by said dropping of the one compartment to withdraw the rocker arm from engagement with said bar, and a safety arm dropping by gravity into the path of said bar upon tilting of the safe.

WILLIAM F. RICHARDS. 

